Remains Of Couple That Disappeared 75 Years Ago Are Found In Unlikely Place

By: Alexander Burns | February 13, 2018

Every year, hundreds of people across America disappear, leaving family and friends wondering if they have been involved in an accident, attacked, or even ran away.

In many cases, the disappearance is a false alarm and friends or family members turn up mere hours after a missing person report is filed.

However, in other cases, the disappearance is genuine and it can be years before the person in question is tracked down – if they are found at all.

When friends and family are never found, it’s almost impossible for the people left behind to have any kind of closure. Seven European siblings lived through such an experience when their parents disappeared 75 years ago.

Fortunately, the two living children, now adults, have finally gained some element of closure.

The story began on August 15, 1942, when the children’s parents, Marcelin and Francine Dumoulin, trekked into the Swiss Alps to take care of the family’s free-roaming herd of cows. However, after leaving the children at home, the normally responsible parents didn’t come back home that night.

After the children called police, investigators initially believed that bad weather had left the couple stranded in the Alps. However, the children quickly cast doubt on this theory, telling police that the weather had been calm and sunny on the day their parents hiked away.

For several months, European authorities cooperated in a large-scale search of the extensive mountain range. When nothing turned up, the search was called off and the children were left wondering what had happened to their parents.

Without any parents, the children went into the foster system and were sent to separate homes.

Now, 75 years later, the two children that are still alive finally know what happened to their parents after their bodies were found perfectly preserved in the melting Tsangleuron glacier. The morbid discovery was made by an employee of the Glacier 3000 Tour company.

Initially, the tour guide thought the strange shapes were rocks. However, upon closer examination, he quickly realized that the discovery was far more macabre. After the tour guide informed the authorities, police removed the bodies from the glacier, finding a well-preserved pocket watch, bottle, and book frozen with them.

Shortly after the bodies were found, initial genetic tests confirmed that the pair’s DNA matched that of the Demoulin children. According to AWM, all seven children had kept looking for their parents while they were alive, often hiking up to see if they could find any trace of their loved ones.

A funeral has been held for the two remaining Demoulin children. Friends and family hope that the burying of the bodies will finally give both adults a chance to find closure.

Since the story went viral, social media users have offered their condolences and expressed their own horror at the situation.

“Who would have thought such a fate...what a horrible thing to happen and for their other children to never know what became of them…” wrote Reta Harris on Facebook. “How awful for that family,” agreed Judy Robertshaw, “But glad they have closure or at least know.”

Most commenters hope that the last two kids can move past the traumatic incident now that they know what happened.

“What a sad ending, but they were together in life and together in death, a small comfort for the family,” Karen Gladue told AWM. “Sad story. Now they can RIP and the children can move on,” replied Venancia Lozano.